Conflicted please help!

J

jameson14

New Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
2
I have been offered a slot at NAPS. Although USNA has been my dream for so long, I also received an Appointment from USAFA. I am conflicted about the extra year and also the reapplication process for USNA. Looking for anyone with advice on this topic, please.
 
jameson14 said:
I have been offered a slot at NAPS. Although USNA has been my dream for so long, I also received an Appointment from USAFA. I am conflicted about the extra year and also the reapplication process for USNA. Looking for anyone with advice on this topic, please.
Click to expand...

I may get some push back on this comment, but here goes.
We are a family of strong faith and we were discussing a similar scenario with our DS last night.
I will share with you exactly what we shared with him.
The right academy, the right opportunity and the right way, will show up at the right time and you will know and have peace with your decision.
Seeks Gods will for your life and He will answer the desires of your heart
Hope that helps, good luck and thank you for stepping up to serve this great nation!
God bless you
 
Do you want to be in the USN or USAF? If the answer is the Navy or USMC, NAPS is a great opportunity, go. Don't let the extra year at NAPS be a negative. It is a great chance. Here is why I think NAPS is a great opportunity:
  • USNA has decided you need some extra prep. Don't take that as a bad thing. They think you have what it takes to be a USN or USMC officer and a few extra classes will help you succeed at USNA.
  • NAPS will make your Plebe Year so much easier in so many ways. Its a year of maturing. Its experiencing being away from home while not under the rigors of Plebe Year. You will make a ton of friends and have a built in support network at USNA. The extra year learning the military lifestyle will make USNA much easier to adapt to.
  • You make great money at NAPS.
  • Instead of graduating USNA at 22 you will be 23. Its an extra year of maturity. Trust me, 23 is still very young. Its not an issue. 1/3 of your class will be 23 or older when they graduate.
  • The year at NAPS counts as active duty time. That means it counts as a year of service. So if you look at an officer pay chart you will see years of service and ranks with associated pay. So regarding pay raises for time in service... you will get them 1 year extra over your direct entry or college entry peers. This also means after 19 years in uniform you retire with 20 years.
  • The application and nomination process is easy as a NAPster. Don't let that scare you. You are required to apply for all nominations again. If you don't get a MOC then you will get a SecNav. Essentially meet all the academic, physical and conduct requirements at NAPS and you will get into to USNA.
 
Ask yourself this question : Do I see myself as an Air Force, not Navy or USMC officer, serving in the US Air Force, not the USN/USMC, for at least 5 years, after being completely immersed in all things Air Force, not Navy/USMC, nearly every day for 4 years at AFA, not USNA? If the answer is No, NAPS might be your better bet.
 
jameson14 said:
I have been offered a slot at NAPS. Although USNA has been my dream for so long, I also received an Appointment from USAFA. I am conflicted about the extra year and also the reapplication process for USNA. Looking for anyone with advice on this topic, please.
Click to expand...

You might find some good food for thought on all the "prep," "NAPS," "MAPS," "Foundation Scholar," "Falcon Scholar," and similar threads.

My personal view is USNA has decided it wants you, so strongly, in fact, they will wait for you, give you a fully-funded spot at NAPS, buff out the areas they think you need polishing to maximize your success at USNA. If you do your part at NAPS, reapply for a nom as most successfully do, you have an open door in front of you that leads to your stated dream. If USNA is your dream, you have been asked to just do this one thing, well, and you will get there.

NAPSters and prepsters tend to do well once at USNA. They have matured in a year away from home, and at NAPS, have gotten comfortable with military routine and culture, with plenty of uniformed staff to help. You will not be "behind." Your 2022 classmates will be a mix of direct appoints, preppers, college re-applicants, older prior enlisted - once there, no one cares.

Now, Navy or Marine service vs. AIr Force service is what you should really be comparing. Great that USAFA offered you an appointment. Do you want to be an AF officer? Or Navy or Marine? Make that decision, and I suspect everything will fall into place.

I hope you have researched NAPS and spoken to Capt Wallace or his staff at the USNA Foundation about noms and any other concerns. Ask him the scary question: "What if I don't get a nom from MOC?" He is a very nice man, who was the active duty Director of Admissions when I was a Battalion Officer. He has been doing this a long time. If USNA has offered you NAPS, they are holding a place for you in 2022 and have faith in you. Many call it the Golden Ticket.
 
Navy Hoops... + 1

I was a Napster. As an 18 year old looking forward, it looked like I was wasting a year. At 50+, looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. NAPS was tough for me, I got beat up academically and almost failed out. I learned how to study and manage time, and ended up making through, and then ended up in the top 10% of my class at USNA. Your upperclass will still find a way to make Plebe year a challenge, but I am happy that I didn't have to face the academic challenges I had and upperclass at the same time.
(As an aside, Newport is a great town, and receiving E1/2 pay when you are 18 and have no other expenses was pretty cool !)
 
I think we had a multi-cross-post event here! I went back to correct a typo and save, et voilà!
 
NavyHoops said:
Do you want to be in the USN or USAF? If the answer is the Navy or USMC, NAPS is a great opportunity, go. Don't let the extra year at NAPS be a negative. It is a great chance. Here is why I think NAPS is a great opportunity:
  • USNA has decided you need some extra prep. Don't take that as a bad thing. They think you have what it takes to be a USN or USMC officer and a few extra classes will help you succeed at USNA.
  • NAPS will make your Plebe Year so much easier in so many ways. Its a year of maturing. Its experiencing being away from home while not under the rigors of Plebe Year. You will make a ton of friends and have a built in support network at USNA. The extra year learning the military lifestyle will make USNA much easier to adapt to.
  • You make great money at NAPS.
  • Instead of graduating USNA at 22 you will be 23. Its an extra year of maturity. Trust me, 23 is still very young. Its not an issue. 1/3 of your class will be 23 or older when they graduate.
  • The year at NAPS counts as active duty time. That means it counts as a year of service. So if you look at an officer pay chart you will see years of service and ranks with associated pay. So regarding pay raises for time in service... you will get them 1 year extra over your direct entry or college entry peers. This also means after 19 years in uniform you retire with 20 years.
  • The application and nomination process is easy as a NAPster. Don't let that scare you. You are required to apply for all nominations again. If you don't get a MOC then you will get a SecNav. Essentially meet all the academic, physical and conduct requirements at NAPS and you will get into to USNA.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this. I am going to share it with our DS this evening.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top